Twitch: "We Screwed Up," Deploying an Appeals Button

Having implemented a new system for video on demand (VOD) content, Twitch will soon be rolling out a button that will enable those affected by flagged audio to appeal the decision. The appeal button is being added to Twitch in response to numerous complaints from users.

"We’re deploying an “appeal” button for VODs that have been flagged for copyrighted music by the new Audio Recognition system. We recognize that the system is not yet perfect. We want to make this system as fair and unobtrusive as possible, and we greatly appreciate your help,” Twitch revealed in an announcement.

CEO Emmett Shear addressed fan concerns regarding the new system in a Reddit AMA, reiterating that the audio scans apply only to VODs and not live streamed content. Furthermore, Twitch has no intention of ever implementing such a system for live streamed video.

“We have no intention whatsoever of bringing audio-recognition to live streams on Twitch. This is a VOD-only change for Twitch," Shear explained. “We have no plans at all for this to expand to live content. Even if we could run this on live this second, we absolutely would not.”

Twitch has also now removed the maximum time limit for highlights, meaning that “you will once again be able to create highlights of any length and they will be saved indefinitely.” Despite all of these changes brought about in reponse to disgruntled users, some have still crossed over to rival streaming services, including Hitbox.

Shear also admitted that the company had poorly judged its communication of the changes to Twitch, stating: “Simply put: we screwed up and should have announced it ahead of time. Sorry.”